NEW YORK (AA) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Monday that health has become an “issue” in the lead up to the election in November.
Trump told Fox News he would be release “very specific” details regarding his medical condition, a day after his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, became unwell at a 9/11 memorial service at ground zero.
“I hope she gets well soon. I don’t know what’s going on; like you, I see what I see,” he told Fox & Friends. “I just hope she gets well, and gets back on the trail and we’ll be seeing her at the debate,” he said in reference to the first presidential debate slated for Sept. 26.
Asked whether he thought health has now become an issue in the presidential race, Trump said yes.
“I think it’s an issue. In fact, this last week I took a physical and I’ll be releasing, when the numbers come in,” he said. “Hopefully they are going to be good. I think they are going to be good, I feel great. When the numbers come in, I’ll be releasing very, very specific numbers.”
Trump, 70, and Clinton, who turns 69 next month, are among the oldest candidates in American history. A president Trump would be the oldest ever, and Clinton would come in at second place after Ronald Reagan.
Health speculations were kindled last week when Clinton trailed off into a coughing attack during her first press conference in nearly nine months.
And Sunday, her personal physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, revealed Clinton was diagnosed last Friday with pneumonia — which Bardack said partly explained her early exit from the 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York City.
“I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely,” Bardack added.
A video posted on Twitter appeared to show the 68-year-old struggling to stand and being helped into a waiting vehicle.
Clinton left the service to rest at her daughter Chelsea’s apartment in lower Manhattan, according to a statement by Nick Merrill, her press secretary, who said later that she was “feeling much better”.
Another Clinton spokesman, Brian Fallon, told MSNBC the campaign would release more information regarding her health in the coming days.
“We have been in touch with her physician this morning to get the material together,” Fallon said. “We’ll release that to further put to rest any lingering concerns about what you saw yesterday.”
On the other hand, the only information made public so far regarding Trump’s medical condition has been a four-paragraph note by his doctor, Harold Bornstein, who said he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency”.
Bornstein and Trump came under fire last month after the doctor revealed that the note was written in five minutes while a limousine sent by the candidate waited outside Bornstein’s Manhattan office.
